A Life Without a Ring
by Triton101
Summary: A prequel to Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour." Louise longs to be free from the ring that controls her life, but Brently wants her love more than ever. What he says that finally pushes Louise to the edge. One-shot.


**A/N: A little school assignment turned into something more . . . enjoy.**

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"A Life Without a Ring"

She could hear the hasty rattling of the keys inside the latchkey as her husband opened the door. As he entered, distorted sound of rain became clearer. Mrs. Mallard had not noticed how intense the storm was until she caught a glimpse of it for herself. Her husband struggled to close the door, and the rain became muffled again. Mr. Mallard put down his grip-sack and hung up his drenched rain jacket and umbrella.

Mrs. Mallard stood in the stairwell to greet him. For a moment they both stood still, with her eyes fixed on him, and his fixed on the ground. It wasn't until he sniffed the air and looked toward the appetizing scent from the kitchen, that he noticed his wife. He took off his shoes made his way up the stairs. He stopped his ascent one step below where she stood so that their eyes met at the same level. This time she kissed him, and he nearly fell back down the stairs in surprise. She had never initiated a kiss since . . . well, since they had married. It left as quick as it came however, and she pulled away.

"Hi," he managed to say.

"Hi," she said, a bit embarrassed by her behavior. "How was work?"

Brently thought about it for a second. His mind was boggled up by so many things he couldn't think properly. And now with the new court case . . .

"Fine," he lied as he made his way to his bed.

She watched him go, knowing that something was not quite right. He would tell later. He always did. Brently couldn't resist telling her what happened every day at the office – good, bad or funny. She would sit at the other end of the dinner table nodding her head or shaking it depending on the story he was telling.

There had been a time where there was an interest. A time when they weren't married. When they would rendezvous in the middle of the night and go to their favorite late night bar, get drunk and sing _The Sidewalks of New York_ with random people they had never met. Then she could just stare into his sea blue eyes and listen to him talk about murder cases and trials and how he was nearly shot by one of the family members of the defendant.

But now she was bound by the ring. Yes, it was symbolic of their love, their passion. But it was the oppression which came with the ring that haunted her. In the end her thoughts, feelings and idea were all thrown aside for his "better" or "acceptable" one. Every party they went to was either for his colleagues from work or his best friend, Richards. None of her friends had dared to send her invitations anymore. However, the ring works both ways. Many of the guests that came to attend the Mallard's parties were Louise's acquaintances. She often forbid many of her husband's friends from ever stepping foot inside the household, for they were too rude and inappropriate for her standards.

As she thought about all of this, she finished making dinner, served equal portions onto two plates and poured out two glasses of wine.

"Honey, dinner's on the table," she said. Just as Brently was about to drift off to sleep from exhaustion, he was startled back to reality by her booming voice. Gradually, he rose out of bed and headed down stairs to the dining room.

"That bathroom is a mess," he said. "You'll have to clean it tomorrow."

She heard him from the kitchen and rolled her eyes, just before she made her way to the table. Brently had already started digging into his food. She could tell he hadn't eaten any lunch. That's what usually happened after a new arduous case popped up. She pulled out the chair for herself and sat across from him, watching him gobbled down her meal. After slowing down his eating pace and taking a few sips of wine, Brently cleared his throat to speak.

_Alright,_ she thought. _Here he goes. What really happened today at work?_

"Louise, I've been meaning to tell you something." He said.

She looked up from her plate still chewing at a potato.

"What is it, sweetheart?" she asked, forcing a concerned looked before drinking some wine. Brently let his food settle and then took a deep breath.

"I want to have kids."

At the sound of kids, she drank a bit too much and struggled to gulp down the wine. She waited a few seconds to catch her breath. Before she could speak, Brently continued.

"I know it's a lot to think about, Louise, but I want to be a father. I'm sure you want to be a mother too."

She looked away, not knowing how to react.

"I . . . um . . ."

"Well you don't have to say yes right now. I'm going to let you think about it. We can take out time, work it out, just like we always do."

She shot him somewhat of a fiery look.

"Like we always do?" She asked.

"Yea," he said smiling at her.

Rather than giving her happiness, it repulsed her. She left the table and climbed upstairs.

"Where are you going?" he asked, quite concerned.

"To the bathroom," she said. "I think I'm going to be sick."

She didn't go to the bathroom, but instead, she locked herself in her room, panting and weeping. She didn't want this. She didn't want to be bound to anything or anyone. She didn't want kids. She didn't want this life anymore.

Her heart suddenly felt weak and she took a seat on the floor. Realizing she was still taking in short breaths, she began inhaling through her nose and out her mouth to calm herself. While she was doing this, she looked out her closed window. The storm had cleared and the sun pierced through the white clouds, illuminating a blue sky. The scene was so perfect, Louise wished she could fly far away from this world – a place where she had complete control of her destiny, another world.

_If I could just have one hour_, she thought. _One hour out of this house, out of his grasp. One hour of freedom._

She lifted herself from the floor and unlocked the door. She was determined to find what she wanted most, but what she would never get: a life without a ring.

_By God, _she thought. _I will get that hour. Even if it kills me._

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**A/N: I hope you guys liked it. Please review, favorite, follow and subscribe!  
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